5000:1 odds. A roster of cast-aside roustabouts. A last-minute substitute manager with a penchant for make-your-own pizza parties. It isn’t a matter of if Leicester City winning the Premiere League will be made into a movie; it’s a matter of when.

With that in mind, let’s do the studios a favor and get the casting out of the way for the starting eleven.

Tom Hardy could harness his role as Charles Bronson in playing the rough and tumble, card-happy Drinkwater.

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Leicesters Daniel Drinkwater during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

“It’s always a building process,” Kroenke said when asked what changes would be made to get the Rapids back on track. “We got a couple good young players. We think Pablo (Mastroeni) has done–It’s been an up and down season.”

Kroenke said the Rapids had some solid showings in the middle of the year — to his point, the club was undefeated in July and put together a three-game winning streak in August.

“Things obviously didn’t finish up like we hoped,” Kroenke said. “But we do have a solid group out there.” Read more…

As the Rapids get closer to the start of the 2015 season, they are still hopeful of bringing in a player or two on loan from Arsenal, the English Premier League side also owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.

“We’ve been talking with Arsenal quite a bit,” said Paul Bravo, Rapids’ vice president of soccer operations and technical director. “There’s a few players that we’ve been monitoring. One that’s currently in an injury situation that we were hoping to bring over. There’s another one that we’re considering at this point, but nothing concrete. But we have been in communication with them in hopes that we can maybe secure one or two players.”

Bravo did not reveal which players the Rapids were eyeing.

Last season, Bravo and Rapids president Tim Hinchey traveled to London to meet with Ivan Gazidis, chief executive of Arsenal, to discuss how the clubs could collaborate in a more meaningful way. The possibility of player loans and shared scouting resources were discussed.

As for the likelihood the Rapids will land an Arsenal player on loan this season, Bravo pegged the chances at a coin flip, 50-50.

David Beckham, right, with his son Brooklyn after a Galaxy-Rapids game in Colorado in 2012. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

English soccer club Arsenal has signed Brooklyn Beckham, the 15-year-old son of legendary striker and former L.A. Galaxy star David Beckham, according to England’s The Daily Star.

The younger Beckham “is talented and he has stood out in all of the training sessions and games he has played” and “really has potential” a source told The Daily Star.

According to the report, there are plans for a long-term deal next summer if he continues to play well.

David Beckham, who trained with Arsenal a couple summers ago to stay in shape, has often been seen at Emirates Stadium with his three sons. The middle one, Romeo, 12, plays on the club’s Under-13 team, while the youngest, Cruz, 9, is said to have already turned heads on the Under-10 team.

What will the Rapids’ relationship with Arsenal look like moving forward?

It’s a question that could begin to get answers this week as Rapids President Tim Hinchey and Vice President of Soccer Operations Paul Bravo are in England to meet with Ivan Gazidis, chief executive of Arsenal.

Hinchey said one thing discussed at the meeting would be how the two clubs can further collaborate in a meaningful way.

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke watches from the stands during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in February. (Michael Regan, Getty Images)

Stan Kroenke, the owner of five U.S. professional sports teams — including the Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids and Mammoth in Colorado — and the majority shareholder of Arsenal, took out dividends worth $4.9 million from the English soccer club, infuriating its ardent fans.

According to Arsenal’s latest account records (see below), the $4.9 million (£3 million) was paid to Kroenke’s company for “strategic and advisory services” related to the soccer club’s broadband division. But it’s the same amount that was raised by a 3 percent increase in season-ticket prices for the 2014-15 season.

In short, the extra money fans are paying to watch their beloved team is going straight into the pockets of Kroenke.

Scotland’s midfielder and captain Darren Fletcher, center, takes part in a training session of the Scottish national football team in Dortmund, western Germany on Sept. 6, 2014. (John MacDougall, Getty Images)

Darren Fletcher is captain of Scotland’s national soccer team, but when it comes time to decide his nation’s independence, the Manchester United midfielder will be watching from the sideline.

Tim Howard, a three-time FIFA World Cup veteran, will not compete for the U.S. national team next year. (Felipe Dana, The Associated Press)

Tim Howard, the longtime goalkeeper for the U.S. men’s national team, plans to take the next year off from competing with the team but is not retiring, he announced on his Facebook page Thursday.

The 35-year-old will continue to compete for Everton of the English Premier League, but he will not be considered for selection to the U.S. roster until September of next year.

“As you may have heard, I have decided to take some time off from the U.S. Men’s National Team in order to spend more time with my family,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “Having played overseas for the last 12 years, making this commitment to my family is very important. I am grateful for the understanding of (U.S. coach) Jurgen Klinsmann who is affording me the opportunity to spend some much needed time with my kids and to have the opportunity to compete for a spot upon my return. I understand that I will have to earn my place with the team and in the lineup when I come back, and I look forward to doing that. Physically I feel as strong as ever, and right now my heart, mind, and body all feel good about continuing on with the national team for the next World Cup. It is difficult to predict the situation in four years but I know this decision is right for me today.”

Kroenke’s position will be as a non-executive director. His dad, Stan Kroenke, is also a director at Arsenal and the majority owner.

“We are delighted to welcome Josh Kroenke to the board of Arsenal,” said Sir Chips Keswick, the club’s chairman. “He has great experience in running sports organisations and brings extensive knowledge of what is required to succeed as we develop our Club for the future.”

Michael Bloomberg’s face notwithstanding, there was a lot of excitement this week about MLS adding another team in New York. That’s Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano at left, with the New York City mayor, middle, and New York Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner. (Reuters)

Major League Soccer this week added New York City FC as an MLS expansion team, set to begin in the 2015 season. The addition of a team owned by Manchester City and the New York Yankees will have a ripple effect across MLS.

We talked with Rapids president Tim Hinchey about how NYCFC (the 20th MLS team) could affect the league going forward — with television deals and payroll spending. You can find his thoughts in Friday’s Denver Post and here at denverpost.com/rapids.

But Hinchey also wagered an educated guess about future MLS expansion.

“In my head, I think 20 is a great number. But no doubt, we’ll be at 24 by 2022,” Hinchey said.